The Court of Appeal ruling brings al-Jedda one step closer to returning to the UK

A terror suspect has come a step closer to returning to the UK after winning a Court of Appeal battle against the government's decision to strip him of his British nationality.

Hilal Al-Jedda was detained without trial or access to the courts for three years by British forces in Iraq and later went to live with his family in Turkey.

The father-of-six was first detained in Baghdad in October 2004 on suspicion of being involved in weapons smuggling and attacks with explosives.

Al-Jedda, 54, could not return to the UK after being deprived of his citizenship.

However today, three appeal judges "reluctantly" but unanimously decided the decision to strip him of British nationality was fatally flawed - because it makes him stateless - and must be quashed.

The court said the quashing order would be put on hold to give Home Secretary Theresa May time to consider challenging today's ruling in the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

Al-Jedda fled from Iraq to the UK in 1992 as a refugee from Saddam Hussein's regime.

He won asylum and in 2000 was granted British nationality.

But he returned to Iraq in 2004 where he came under suspicion of involvement in terrorism.

He was initially detained by American troops before being handed over to UK forces at the Shaibah Divisional Detention Facility, Basra.

He was stripped of British nationality "for the public good" in December 2007 by the-then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, and her order was later upheld by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).

The Appeal Court was told Al-Jedda wants to return to the UK but is prevented by his loss of citizenship.